Great post. These are fine weapons on their own and lend to a lot of easy modifications that even beginning gunsmiths (or wannabes) can perform. I'm a huge fan. They were first made in 1964, and could be bought for $54 U.S. They really came into popularity in the 70's-80's here in the U.S. and I know nearly all my friends and family had at least one. I remember paying about $75 for my first one back in the mid 70's. Now they are commonly going for $280-$350 for base models... I've got a bit more than that into my custom version. I did a few detailed posts on it, wow hard to believe it was 2 years ago!
https://ecency.com/hive-139358/@ksteem/journey-from-stock-ruger-10-22-to-custom
I do love still getting it out to play now and again, and really love the tri-mag holder, that holds three of the stock 10 round magazines, allowing for quick change. I've found these much more reliable and compact than the banana mags.
